Immune-System Boosting Nutrition

What you eat profoundly affects your ability to fight disease. With all the nasty bugs going around this cold and flu season, it’s especially important to pay attention to boosting your immune system through nutrition. While every nutrient is important in your body’s ability to prevent and fight disease – from colds to cancer – certain nutrients play key roles:

Protein

Protein is one of the most important nutrients in the human body, second only to water. Bone health, muscle function, muscle strength, muscle mass and immune function — all are impaired with a low protein intake. In fact, the antibodies which are essential to protecting your body against pathogens, are made of protein, so without enough protein, your body has no chance. Certain vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, children, and those who already have compromised immune systems, should be particularly careful to eat enough protein – in fact, even more than the recommended dietary allowance – for maximized protection.

Protein can be found in a wide range of foods. Animal protein is in seafood, dairy, meat, poultry and eggs. Vegetarian protein can be found in legumes, soy, vegetables and grains. And while it’s true that high-protein foods often bring fat and calories along as uninvited guests, it doesn’t have to be that way. The lowest-calorie animal protein sources are the leanest. Go for seafood, poultry with no skin, lean veal cuts, pork tenderloin, lean beef cuts such as the round or tenderloin or 95 percent lean hams (less than 3 grams of fat per ounce). Skim milk, nonfat yogurt, lowfat cheeses are also great options. Soy products also provide great low-calorie options and are high quality proteins similar to meat.

Protein foods have other benefits. Meats (keep it lean!) contain immune-boosters zinc and iron (but in too high quantities, for instance in megadose vitamin pills, can backfire and suppress the immune system). Dairy products (keep them fat-free or low fat) are naturally loaded with magnesium, potassium and calcium – all important for immune function. Beans and soy beans are high in iron, zinc and magnesium.

Fats and OilsThe type of fat you eat can improve the effectiveness of your body’s immune response because fat ends up in all of your body’s cell walls. It acts as a cell lubricant, improves flexibility and communication between cells, and is important for cell metabolism and gene expression. If the fat you eat is saturated – solid at room temperature – as in butter or animal fat – this decreases cellular flexibility and functioning. So, to maximize your immune response, use oils in your cooking, such as olive and canola oil and stick with foods high in heart-healthy fats, such as nuts, avocados and seafood, which is high in omega-3-fatty acids. Minimize animal fats in dairy products, fatty meats, butter, cream and desserts.

Vitamins and MineralsStudies show all nutrients are involved in your immune response but taking high doses of certain nutrients can cause imbalances, backfire, and actually suppress your immune response. So it’s ideal to get your vitamins and minerals from a nutrient-rich, balanced diet. Though you may benefit from taking a basic multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to cover your bases. And there may be some exceptions depending on your own nutritional status (best to get personalized advice from your dietitian)…

Vitamin D

New research has found Vitamin D augments the body’s ability to elimate disease-infecting microbes, and most of us are deficient in Vitamin D, which we get from the sun and very few foods. Your doctor should check your vitamin D status at your next visit to make sure your blood values are adequate to fight infection, among other things.

For Those Over 50

Vitamin E
Studies from Tufts University found that vitamin E supplementation may help fight the common cold and other upper respiratory tract infections. The recommendation is about 400 IU/day

Zinc
Zinc helps fuel the production of infection-fighting white blood cells so a lack of zinc reduces immune response and illness recovery time is prolonged. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to deficiencies and may even need more than normal. So here’s another case where a supplement may be useful. When zinc supplements were given in a nursing home, residents reduced their risk of contracting pneumonia, according to researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

Vitamin B 12
Vitamin B 12, another nutrient important for immune function, is poorly absorbed in many elderly patients (and is missing from the diet of vegans) which is why your vitamin B 12 status should be checked by your doctor and you may need a supplement – in the form of an injection. For most of us, though, B 12 is easily obtained and absorbed by eating any animal products.

Probiotics
Apparently, the good bacteria in the gut, which aids aborption of important nutrients, is reduced as we age. There is some evidence that eating more of the good bacteria, such as lactobacillus in yogurt, may help your immune response.

The following is a list of foods containing key immune-boosting nutrients.

Have antibacterial qualities. Eat them dried for the highest levels of nutritious compounds

White Mushroom

Have been shown to boost the immune system

Immune-Boosting Eating Strategies

* Eat a lean protein source at every meal – including breakfast, lunch and dinner. 20 grams for women and 30 grams for men is the amount most bio-available per sitting.
* Eat 5 cups of fruits and veggies per day – especially colorful varieties, eat at every meal and snack

* Eat a vegetarian meal every day using beans or soy beans for protein,

* Eat fish high in omega-3-fatty acids, such as salmon, herring, anchovies and sardines, at least two to four times per week, and vegetarian sources such as walnuts, ground flax seeds and canola oil,

* Use canola oil in your cooking and a fresh, newly harvested olive oil for drizzling,

* Eat whole grains at breakfast (such as cereal with skim milk or soy milk) and with sandwiches or wraps at lunch,